Caribbean American Immigrant Resource Guide to South Florida
By
Dr. Marcia Magnus
Dr. Lloyd Cohen
Dr. Joan Muir
Caribbean American Book and Art Fair
18-20 June 2009
Miramar Cultural Center, MiramarFL
Caribbean American Immigrant Resource Guide to South Florida
Table of Contents
Know the Best Kept Secrets in South Florida……………………………………………………………………… 3
Be Politically Savvy…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 7
Be Consumer Savvy……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………10
Taking Charge of Your Child’s Education…………………………………………………………………………………15
Accessing Mental Health Services………………………………………………………………………………………………26
Learn African American History from Films……………………………………………………………………………30
For a listing of the 7 radio stations, 3 web pages, 3 television stations and 15 weekly and monthly newspapers which cater to South Florida’s Caribbean-American community; and our 80 Caribbean-American churches, consult the Jamaican Information Service of the Jamaican Consulate or 305 374 8431.
BEST KEPT SECRETS IN SOUTH FLORIDA
ByDr. Marcia Magnus
954 454 7473
Informed residents of South Florida have, over the years, come across the best kept secrets which are rarely advertised. Enjoy!
Craft stores such as Michaels’ offers craft classes (jewelry making, tie-die crafts) for adults and children at a nominal fee or some classes may be free.
Home Depot offers free adult workshops on many aspects of do-it-yourself home maintenance (painting, fan installation, tiling, wallpapering etc).
Home Depot offers free children’s workshops on certain Saturdays. Under the supervision of their parents, children make a Home Depot craft (bird feeder, spice rack, wooden car) which they take home.
Flowers (Hollywood), Entenmanns (Pembroke Pines), and Pepperidge Farms (Davie) have bakery store outlets which offer day-old bread at half price.
One month before your birthday, go to and to find out which stores and restaurants have birthday offers when you present proof of your birthday. TCBY offers a free cone on your birthday. Sonny’s Carwash in Hollywood offers a free car wash on your birthday. Miccosukee Indian Reservation at Krome Ave and SW 8th St offers birthday specials. Askabout birthday offers in your favorite restaurant because they rarely advertise birthday specials.
The Jamaica Diaspora Committee offers guidance on all issues facing overseas Jamaicans—how to ship donations to Jamaica, and how to help deportees who are resident in Jamaica. Call the Jamaican consulate 305 374 8431. They can also share a list of the 70 organizations which work to benefit Jamaica and Jamaicans in South Florida.
At election time, if you are not sure who to vote for, how to vote, when to vote, be sure to read Caribbean-American newspapers to access our Caribbean-American Voters’ Guide for Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach. The Caribbean-American Politically Active Citizens is a group of non-partisan (neither Republican nor Democrat) Caribbean Americans who assess the candidates for political office (president/vice president, congressional members, state representatives, judges, school board members, county commissioners and make specific recommendations for all candidates, constitutional and county amendments. The Voters’ Guides are a mirror of the ballot. You can take it into the polling booth with you. Don’t just pay taxes, VOTE for candidates who promote your interests!
Many Caribbean countries have consulate offices in South Florida. Contact your country consulate office so that they can share a list of local organizations (Carnival bands, high school alumni associations, universities (UWI, NorthernCaribbeanUniversity, and service organizations). You are guaranteed to meet old friends and make new ones.
Florida Power and Light will schedule a free energy audit where you will learn how to save money on your electricity bill every month.
Your city Police Department will conduct a home security survey and recommend safety features. Some police departments offer a CommunityPoliceAcademy—a 9-week course that describe s how the police department functions.
“South Florida Parenting” is a free monthly magazine with numerous events around town. The magazine is available at county libraries, day care centers and children’s stores (available at child care centers and Toys-R-Us).
County beaches and parks offer numerous sports events, nature activities,sports events, camps, activities for special populations, and classes for adults and children.
Miami-Dade 305 755 7800
Broward no telephone number
Palm Beach 561 966 6600
National parks offer numerous activities and opportunities for outdoor activities. For the closest national park, call 1 800 NATPARK. Call 850 488 9872 for the closest state park.
Seniors can receive free and reduced services such as assistance for persons with disabilities, independent living, transportation and meal programs, call the Florida Elder Helpline—Broward 954 714 3464, Palm Beach 2-1-1, Miami-Dade 305 670 4357.
Bookstores such as “Barnes and Noble” and “Borders” offer free children’s activities for young children every Wednesday and Saturday and these are printed in their monthly publications.
Large chain natural health food stores like Whole Foods (Plantation, Aventura), and Nutrition Smart (Pembroke Pines) offer classes—belly dancing, floral arranging. They also offer free health-related lectures on iridology, acupuncture and chiropractic services.
Every county library issues library cards to residents so that you can borrow items--books, compact discs, videos, audiocassettes, newspapers, DVDs; and you can get free internet access. Broward county libraries offer 2.7 million items which can be borrowed. “Bookings” is the monthly publication in Broward library system. It offers a wide range of activities for adults and children in all 37 libraries. In 1996, Broward county was listed as the best library in the United States.
Garage sales on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings offer bargains. Wealthier neighborhoods may have better bargains. Bulk trash day may offer some real giveaways.
Thrift stores (Goodwill, Salvation Army and many churches) offer used clothing, furniture, sporting goods at reasonable prices.
In November, Miami-Dade county has a Friday-Saturday-Sunday bookfair with children’s activities, dancing, storytelling.
Kheprera is a Broward group of Pan-Africanists who have a study group and yoga classes. They read books and discuss chapters at group meetings. Contact , or Broward Library Outreach Services 954 357 7348.
The Pan African BookFest—a reading festival for children-- is hosted by a group of Miami educators once a year. Call the BrowardCounty Library--Outreach Services 954 357 7348.
The local beaches await you and parking costs are reasonable. There is even a nude beach near HauloverBeach in North Miami.
For unbiased answers on food, agriculture, home economics, call the countyCooperative Extension office. Broward 954 370 3730; Miami-Dade 305 248 3311; Palm Beach 561 233 1712.
The “Schools” listing in the yellow pages describes vocational schools which charge low prices for cosmetology and massage services.
Many local Mental Health Associations offer free classes (sometimes with refreshments) on Personal Growth, Parenting, Stress Management, and Anger Management for adults and children.
The Museum of Discovery and Science has loads of hands-on fun activities for adults and children and a low-cost family membership which allows unlimited museum trips and discount IMAX tickets.
Call your local Chamber of Commerce to get a guide to your city, and explore the museums, shopping areas and attractions just like a tourist.
You can get free mulch for your landscaping needs from the City of Plantation 954 797 2200. Be sure to read any material which you receive from your city. Check with your cities’ Human Services department to find out about how to get assistance to meet city codes—painting, storm shutters, and other services for senior citizens’ centers, food programs; summer camps for children. Many cities have programs to help you pay your bills. Some cities offer business seminars and incentives such as loan programs with generous payment terms. Community Redevelopment Agencies also have programs to help first-time homebuyers. Your city’s parks and recreation department may have an events calendar with fun activities for adults and children. Remember, cities are funded by our tax dollars. Find out about their services and take advantage of them.
Be Politically Savvy
ByDr. Marcia Magnus
954 454 7473
Being politically savvy means that you stay informed of the issues and vote in primary and general elections.
Why Bother To Vote?
It is important for all tax-paying Americans to vote, but it is even more important for Caribbean-Americans in America to vote. Florida is considered by civil rights organizations to be a “high-risk” state for voting irregularities—police checks within a few miles of the voting booth and computer irregularities.
Vote at every primary and presidential election as a show of support for:
Rosa Parks who tried and failed to register to vote twice before she was successful.
African-Americans who could not afford to pay the poll tax when they tried to register to vote.
The thousands of civil rights workers who were arrested, murdered, bombed, or beaten because they tried to register Blacks to vote.
African-American adults and children who were hosed down as they demonstrated for civil rights.
African-American men in 8 states cannot vote because they are ex-felons. Approximately 30% of Black men in Florida cannot vote because they are ex-felons.
The Floridians in 2002 who tried to vote for Bill McBride but Jeb Bush’s name got highlighted.
The 173,000 registered voters in Florida whose names were intentionally and wrongfully purged from the voter rolls in 2000 on instruction from Katherine Harris, Secretary of State and co-chair of the George W. Bush presidential campaign.
The 4 million Americans who were illegally disqualified, intimated, and harassed at the polls in 2000.
Need more motivation to vote in both primary and general elections?
DON’T VOTE IF you believe that your children, your family and friends and the Caribbean community in South Florida are better off TODAY compared to 2 years ago. If you believe that… / BUT if you believe that Caribbean-American taxpayers need to hold elected officials MORE accountable for…--the quality of your children’s education has improved / --converting our F schools into A schools
--your friends and family have better jobs today / --passing legislation which ends job discrimination—Equal pay for equal work!
--you are more satisfied with the quality of your health care today / -- funding universal health care coverage for the 40 million Americans who are uninsured
--you are more confident today that your vote will count / --investigating voting irregularities and holding election officials criminally responsible for those irregularities, and for investing in voting machines which have a paper trail
--your friends and family now have more city, state, county and federal contracts / --opening the door to city, state, county and federal contracts to those outside of the old boys’ club (consider Halliburton!)
--the American justice system is more fair to you and yours / --investigating and stopping the disproportionate incarceration of Black boys and men in the country’s prisons. There are more Black men in prison than in university.
--US immigration policy is more favorable to you and yours / --deporting more than 2,000 Caribbean-Americans to the Caribbean, some for minor offenses, and for legislation which treats Haitians and Cuban immigrants equally.
DON’T VOTE IF you believe that your children, your family and friends and the Caribbean community in South Florida are better off TODAY compared to 2 years ago. If you believe that… / BUT if you believe that Caribbean-American taxpayers need to hold elected officials MORE accountable for…
--it’s okay with you that 1/3 Black men in Florida CANNOT vote because Governor Jeb Bush has refused to restore the civil rights of ex-felons so that they can vote / --passing legislation which restores the rights of ex-felons to vote.
--racial discrimination has disappeared / --ending predatory lending (non-Whites are charged higher interest rates) among financial institutions, and prosecuting the agents of hate crimes.
--city, county, state, and federal legislators have been held more accountable for equitable awarding of contracts / --ensuring that city and county contracts reflect the Caribbean-American taxpayer base.
--the poorest, homeless, the underemployed, the 20 million illiterate Americans have received the job training and other services which they need to become self-sufficient / --funding literacy programs, mental health services, disability services, drug rehabilitation programs to help the 20 million illiterate Americans, veterans, substance abusers, and the homeless.
--corruption among elected officials (who are spending our tax dollars) is at an all-time low / --passing legislation which exposes and punishes corruption of elected city, county, state and federal elected officials.
Research shows that Caribbean Americans in South Florida are most concerned about issues such as education, immigration, and the American justice system. Listen to Caribbean-American talk radio, and read Caribbean-American newspapers to stay informed so that you can vote on issues that affect the quality of our lives and the lives of our children.
CONSUMER SAVVY
ByDr. Marcia Magnus
954 454 7473
Every day, the average American receives 3,000 advertisements from television, newspapers, magazines, internet, email, automated telephone calls, direct mail, and movie screens. And that’s before they enter a supermarket which contains 30,000 foods. Advertisements are expertly designed to convince you to part with your money, even if that purchase is not a good short-term or long-term investment for you. However, informed consumers make purchases which are based on their needs—not their wants. Informed consumers know which products offer the best quality within the reality of their budget. Informed consumers know how to use products and services which are good short-term and long-term investments.
- Because prices vary substantially, shop around and compare prices. The time you spend shopping around will benefit you in the long run, because you will see how much prices can vary. Consumers Union publishes a monthly magazine Consumer Reports which independently tests and ranks thousands of products from hand soaps to cars. Your nearest public library has many of these consumer resources. Education is the weapon that can help you to set and meet your financial goals, and defeat corporate scams and schemes. Be aware of the “bait and switch” tactic. A store will advertise a certain product at a low price, but when you visit the store, the salesperson points out only the problems in the product, and shows you another, higher-priced item. The seller has successfully used the low price to get you into the store.
- Keep receipts for all purchases. Take time to read store refund policies so that you can get your money back. Some stores offer 30 days, some offer 90 days to get a full refund if you have a receipt. When you buy a product, always ask for the warranty or guarantee in writing, Find out who will uphold the guarantee—the seller or the manufacturer. Make sure you know whether the guarantee covers parts and/or labor. Extended warranties offer very little extra protection to consumers.
- Stay out of credit card debt, and if you are in debt, get rid of your credit card debt.
Pay off all credit card balances in full before the due date. Only 20% of Americans pay off their credit card balances every month. If you can’t pay your balances off in full, at least make more than the minimum payments. A $6,000 credit card balance at an interest rate of 17% will take your 37 years to pay off if you pay only the minimum.
- Because non-White people earn 30% less than Whites, it is even more important for immigrants to learn consumer savvy skills. Building wealth takes hard work, perseverance, planning and most of all, self-discipline. Invest 2 hours every month to see how well you are managing your money. How you manage your money is more important than how much money you have.
- Teach your consumer savvy habits to your children so that they too will know how to balance short-term (clothes, music) and long-term investments (education, real estate) which increase in value and build wealth. Thrift stores (Salvation Army, Goodwill and church-based second-hand stores sell items for a fraction of the price).
Consumer Credit Counseling Service of South Florida, Inc offers workshops and printed material on techniques for managing foreclosures, successful budgeting, and how to avoid money management mistakes (no spending plan, no cash reserves, too much use of credit, how to get out of debt, spending leaks, not saving small amounts, can’t wait attitude, no provision for large expenses, underestimating the costs of car ownership, non-constructive use of windfalls, etc.) 1 800 355 2227